Winwood / Clapton Tour Dates and tickets on sale

[kiramdear]

This just in from ericclapton.com :

Clapton Fans,

Tickets for the recently announced Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton 2009 Summer tour are about to go on sale! You'll find ticket purchase information for most shows at Ticketmaster.com. The first round of on-sales begins this Friday, February 20th at 10AM Local Venue Time.

Please note that the Houston and Philadelphia shows will be sold through a different ticketing system.

[mgauction]

Looks like I'l be going to the Houston Show!

[kiramdear]

Cool, Mike! Let us know how it goes. I wish I could make it, but it doesn't look likely.

[winston]

So are they expected to play some Traffic material? I hope so. I also hope they will record together again.

[mgauction]

Brian - I understand the playlist includes Traffic, Spencer Davis, Cream & Blind Faith material, along with solo material. They are playing to the crowd in this tour. I met him at the Cream Reunion a few years ago. He actually sat three rows behind me with his son. I thought "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" and asked him at the end to sign my program, which he did with the most horrible "SW" initials.

Did you know that Steve Winwood was originally pegged to be in Cream?

[winston]

Really? Steve might have been a member of Cream? Now that would have been so cool. What stopped that from happening I wonder?

[mgauction]

I read somewhere, can't remember,that Clapton wanted Winwood in Cream to fill in with organ and also because they needed a lead singer.

[kiramdear]

... time out for a nostalgia break ...

[mgauction]

That's Winwood with Clapton's Gibson 335. What is Clapton holding?

[goofyfoot]

Steve Winwood and his music still resonates inside my cranium. I got hooked on Traffic from the beginning in the 60's, much like I did with The Band. Their respective music was simply, well, different. No other bands sounded like 'em and the music came at you from a different angle. For me, it was a beautiful synergy of form and function, style and substance. Both remain among my all-time fave bands. I saw Traffic @ San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom in January, 1973 soon after the release of "Shootout At The Fantasy Factory." The lineup was sublime:

Steve Winwood - guitar, piano, vocals
Chris Wood - flute, saxophone
Jim Capaldi - percussion, drums, keyboards, vocals
Roger Hawkins - drums
David Hood - bass
Rebop Kwaku Baah - percussion
Barry Beckett - keyboards

Adding Roger and David, part of the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Rebop, and Barry to the ensemble really opened up the musical explorations for Winwood, Wood, and Capaldi on vinyl and in live situations, particularly the latter. Straight-ahead rock fused seamlessly with jazz, blues, folk, and for lack of a better word, alternative to create these long, groovy jams. Watch out! Here it comes right at you ---- head music, rolling on like a freight train out of the Plains. Man, I'm as happy as a clam at high tide to be able to have seen these cats back then. Just my dos (well, maybe a little more) centavos worth.

Here's an oft-seen vid of Traffic live at the Santa Monica Civic in 1972, just months before I saw 'em. It's pretty much the same lineup.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_nwbTeIN4Y

Dig Winwood's non-reverse Gibson Firebird. Late.......Goofyfoot.

[kiramdear]

Mike, that's a Danelectro that he's holding here.

[mgauction]

Mike, that's a Danelectro that he's holding here.

Ha! I can see it now - the headstock style.

[8mileshigher]

How about the green pants, red socks and white shoes ... when you're a super-group god you can get away with most any fashion statement !!! I guess the outfit goes with the psychedelic textured Danelectro ??
Regards
Rich F.

[mgauction]

How about the green pants, red socks and white shoes ... when you're a super-group god you can get away with most any fashion statement !!! I guess the outfit goes with the psychedelic textured Danelectro ??
Regards
Rich F.

Psych-mod. He's making the transition but not stepping too far from the norm.

[kiramdear]

So typically 1968-69. As you say, Mike, it was a time of stylistic transition as focus shifted from Carnaby street to, well, you name it. The seventies became a fashion grab-bag. I found his garb fascinating and imaginative at the time, absolutely liberating in its implications.

It could have been worse: at least they hadn't begun the big hair craze yet